A Collection of Rumbelle and Swanfire Dates
by HopeHunter
Summary: A collection of one shots detailing the double dates of Rumbelle and Swanfire.
1. Four Bowls of Soup

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, it all belongs to Once Upon a Time, sadly.**

**A/N: This is co-written with eisafangirl, she is super awesome, so check out her stories as well!**

Four Bowls of Soup

Emma walked into her room to find Neal going through a bunch of ties.

"What are you doing?" She asked curiously.

"What do you think of these ties?" Neal asked. He looked closely at the colors he held in his hand. The blue one or the red one? He never cared about what clothes to wear, but this dinner was a special exception. It wouldn't have to be this difficult if his father wasn't coming.

"I like the blue one... but what is this for?" Emma had been planning on a cosy evening with him alone, and Henry was with Regina. Usually she didn't associate ties with evenings in. What had Neal done now?

"I have no idea why I'm even bothering with this stupid thing. It's only because my father wears ties now. It's a guy thing, Emma," Neal told her through the mirror. He chose the blue one and started to tie it.

"Oh crap! The dinner is tonight?!" Emma exclaimed. It had completely slipped her mind. They had planned it weeks ago, frankly she really didn't want to go. An awkward dinner with Neal and his father was not on the top of her to do list.

"Yeah. I'm not going because my father is there. I'm curious to see who this girlfriend of his is. At least he had someone to love while I was gone," Neal remembered the painful scene of his father being a coward.

"It's okay to admit you miss your dad." Emma teased, "And besides, I've met Belle and she seems nice. Bit weird to think that she's kinda like your step mom... She's the same age as me I think, anyways"

"Same age?" Neal asked astounded. The only thing that would make a young woman fall for his father is magic. Suddenly, Neal didn't feel so easy about meeting her now. How would she act? How would he act around her?

"Well, there was the curse, so I guess she is older than she looks. Don't get freaked out or act weird." Emma sensed that Neal was having a bit of a mental freak out. The last thing she wanted was to be left all alone to hold the conversation throughout the night.

"Of course. Oh, let's get going. Don't wanna be late for this thing. Walk or take the bug?" he asked her with that genuine smile he gave everyone.

"The bug of course." Emma smiled at old memories, and kissed Neal on the cheek, before heading out the door, leaving him to follow her out.

Neal rubbed the mark and smirked behind Emma. They looked both ways down the street before getting in the car. Neal opened the door for Emma and hurried around the other side to get in. After a few minutes of driving, they found the largest house. Of course, his father's house had to be better and larger than everyone else's. He rolled his eyes as he turned the car off.

Emma had only been to Rumplestiltskin's house once, and that was when she didn't believe in fairy tales. It had been intimidating then, now it was ten times worse. She waited as Neal opened the door for her. They both were nervously silent as they walked up to the porch. They stood at the door. Neal glanced at her, and she glanced at the door.

"You ring it." She finally said.

Neal sighed with a bit of groaning at the end and made the effort to knock. It didn't take very long for someone to answer the door. It swung open, as a petite girl stepped out. She wore a blue dress, almost the same color as Neal's tie. She was pretty, and almost too pretty for his father.

"Welcome!" Belle said warmly, "Hi Emma, and you must be Baelfire" She stretched out her hand. He shook it timidly. "I'm Belle, come on in." She stepped in beckoning them in, "Rumple, they're here" She half yelled towards the stairs. She glanced back at her frozen guests, they looked terrified, she groaned in her head, this was off to a rough start.

Rumplestiltskin heard his lady's voice and instantly got up to walk down the stairs. He secretly hoped his son and Emma wouldn't show up. This time, magic couldn't get out of his situation. He saw that Belle was stalling the two until he came down. He cleared his throat and all of them looked up.

"Good evening, Bae and Emma," he used his son's real name.

"Thanks for inviting us," Neal didn't like the ring to his actual name.

Emma saw the small wince when Rumplestiltskin said his name. She squeezed his fingers gently, letting him know that she was here for him. She glanced up to see Belle looking at her. Belle gave her a small nod.

Belle understood the strain Neal was going through. She should know the best, Rumple hurt people, he shut her out, and you can't forget that. But he was trying and that was all that mattered, and hopefully Neal would see how much he was trying too.

"It was all Belle," Rumple smiled at his lovely beauty. He took slow steps until he was on the same ground as everyone else. "If everyone could follow me this way," he motioned to another room. Belle took her place beside Rumple, as he was about to coil his arm around her waist. Neal wanted to tell Belle to be cautious, but it was like she didn't care. His cane scraped the wood underneath them. Neal cringed every time; unused to the sound. It was going to drive him insane.

Belle leaned into Rumple, not enough to unbalance him, gosh that would be embarrassing. Rumple always brought out the bravery in her, and it would be the same tonight.

Emma walked with Neal, holding his hand tighter than necessary. She kept telling herself that there was nothing to worry about. But was not a situation she was used to, family still was not a thing she knew well. Her family was a complete mess.

"Ah, here we are," he showed them the extravagant dining room. This was too much for Neal. Back home, a dinner was a quiet little table with just him and his bowl of soup. This was a long table with expensive centerpieces. He forgot that he was even in reality. As he examined the dinner table, he saw little name cards. He scoffed at the formality and looked at his father.

"Name tags? Was this necessary?" he asked his father.

"Why yes. I do believe one arranges their guests seats before dinner. Belle wrote them out for you," there was a hint of attitude to Rumple's voice.

"It's true, I was responsible for that" Belle spoke up, smiling nervously, "I hope that you don't mind."

Emma rolled her eyes, carefully though, so no one saw. This was just getting silly now. "Your family is crazy!" Emma whispered into Neal's ear. He shook his head and smiled. Emma loved that smile, it could make one feel better no matter what was happening

"No, he doesn't mind at all, Belle," Rumple eyed his son carefully.

"I wasn't accusing her," Neal surrendered. He pulled his chair out for Emma and then seated himself. From across the table, Belle helped his father into his chair first. How did this poor girl not see how selfish the man was? When Belle was about to seat herself, Neal quickly got up to help. "You should be treated better than this," he told her.

Belle glanced quickly at Rumple, then said in a low voice, "I don't know what you mean. But whatever you want to say to me, can wait till after dinner." She felt like a mom telling off her child. In a louder voice she said, "Thank you so much. What a gentleman your son has become." She directed the last bit to Rumple, smiling, insuring that he was not to worry about what Neal had said.

Emma watched the exchange silently from across the table. What had Neal done now? She understood being upset with weird family situations, she hadn't been too happy to find out the age of her parents in relation to her own, but she wasn't rude about it to them. He came and sat next to her. She gave an accusing glance, but he just shrugged his shoulders.

Rumple didn't need to point out what he said to her. Of course, he heard. Some might mistake him as an old man; one who doesn't have good hearing at least. Belle started to get up, but he caught her wrist.

"Please don't leave me here with them alone," he said like a sad child.

"I'll be right back, we do need to eat, and the food is still in the kitchen." Belle smiled brightly, she glanced at the two young lovers, they seemed to be having a silent conversation, not paying her or Rumple any mind. So she quickly gave Rumple a kiss on the cheek, to help him get through this, and dashed out of the room.

"Hey, do you mind helping Belle in the kitchen?" Neal asked his love.

"No problem" Emma said quickly, anything to get out of this awkward silence. She followed Belle into the kitchen. It was a large and grand, just like the dining room. But it was clearly Belle's space. There were dried roses hanging over the sink, and tons of cookbooks lying all over the place. It actually felt homey, instead of intimidating.

"Oh Emma, I'm almost done." Belle said from over her shoulder, from where she was standing at the stove. "In a second, we can take all of this into the other room."

"This is impressive, I didn't know you were such a cook " Emma complemented Belle, there was a whole assortment of dishes, many seemed to be soup.

"Oh it's nothing" Belle dismissed it, "I have had a lot of practice back home."

Home? Emma thought for a second, oh she meant fairytale land. Emma tended to forget that the everyone in this stinking town came from another world. Even though she herself went there, she liked to block out those difficult memories out. "I thought you were a princess or something... why would you be cooking?" Emma said a bit resentfully.

"I was a housekeeper for Rumple, and he likes good food." Belle smiled, fond memories came to mind.

"Wow" Emma said, she had no idea, she wondered what Neal would think of that. That sounded absolutely horrible, usually everyone portrayed their home as something perfect, especially David. But Belle seemed happy and content to have been the Dark One's housekeeper.

"Here take these in" Belle pointed to a few dishes, and Emma dutifully took the dishes.

"These are heavy" Emma had not expected that, "What are we having?"

"It's a surprise, but it's Rumple's favorite." Belle's face lit up with a mischievous smile. She picked up the last few dishes, and motioned that they should go.

"This smells delicious, Belle," Rumple smiled at his faire maiden. Belle took the tops off the silver bowls, and revealed delicious soup inside. There were many kinds that she made for them. Rumple's favorite meal was soup, especially Belle's kind. Neal was also excited that his favorite meal was brought out too. Maybe he could like Belle for her cooking too. He dished some out for Emma and then for himself. In silence, they all made sipping noises without saying a single word. Neal felt Emma's eyes on him, and sighed in response.

"How did you two meet?" Neal blurted out the question.

Belle glanced at Rumple, he nodded slightly, giving his permission. "I made a deal with him." She answered simply.

Emma spit out her soup in shock, Belle hadn't mentioned anything about a deal. Emma had made a deal with Rumplestiltskin and she had hated every second of it, it was awful having that undefined favor dangling over her head. Neal also stiffened. Everyone looked at her, she wiped her mouth slowly. "That doesn't sound very romantic" She pointed out.

"No, it wasn't at first. There were bigger things happening than romance at the time." Belle answered calmly keeping a straight face, she indicated that Rumple should continue.

"I helped her father win the Ogre Wars. I didn't think I would fall for a princess at all. She was different from the others: brave, smart, and heroic. She saved her people," Rumple held his hand out for his dearest to hold.

"I bet you were afraid of him. He's not exactly easy to work with," Neal jumped in.

"I have never been afraid of him" Belle answered strongly, "I am able to see under the surface."

Emma had to be impressed with Belle's zeal, she had guts. "I should hope so, I would think it would be impossible to love someone who you're afraid of" Emma supported her, glancing at Rumplestiltskin's reaction to Neal's harsh words. What was Neal hoping to accomplish, getting his father angry wouldn't help. Though it might get us out of this dinner...mmm... he might be onto something, Emma realized.

Rumple shook his head in disapproval. All of this talk was going to get someone in a very bad place. If Bae or Emma wanted to play dirty, he'd fight back too.

"Where is Henry this evening?" Rumple asked off topic.

Emma felt hot all of a sudden. She shifted uncomfortably. She hated it when people butted into her parenting with Henry. Why did it matter where Henry was? "He is at Regina's tonight." Emma finally said.

"May I ask that we not talk about Regina at the table?" Rumple asked politely.

"What's so bad about Regina?" Neal turned towards his father.

"She and I have a past, that really isn't pretty." Belle said firmly, "Are you sure you want Henry to be hanging around her?"

"She is his mother, I can't do anything about it." Emma, was a bit shocked at Belle's quick dismissal of Regina, and angry that she had the audacity to tell her what to do with her own son. "What did she do to you, that could be that bad?" Emma immediately regretted her word choice, when she saw Rumplestiltskin's face.

"Well, for one thing, she locked my Belle up for twenty eight years. I had no idea she was beneath my feet. She deserves every moment of my pain that I suffered," Rumple gripped his cane tighter.

Emma was shocked, and glanced at Neal. He was looking at Belle with a completely new expression. "Sorry I didn't know, but how on earth was I supposed to know about that?" She retorted, though she felt a bit stupid. People ignored her outburst, well they're rude, everyone seemed to be focused on Neal. Emma really didn't understand why.

Belle could tell that Emma was embarrassed, but she had tried to avoid this line of conversation. It is never good to dwell on unpleasant topics. She looked at Neal, it seemed he wanted to say something.

"At least you were worried about someone. I'm glad that he has a caretaker. You can see that he's getting very old," Neal smiled at Belle.

He chuckled a bit after the comment and everyone joined him except Rumplestiltskin. His age was something he didn't like to speak about. Rumple looked to his dearest, who was laughing just as much.

"Oh, you want to talk about age? You're still a little more than a hundred years old, Bae," Rumple gave Neal that smirk.

Neal stopped laughing and looked to Emma for help. She stopped as well and just looked at her half empty bowl of soup. He looked around to see if he could get some backup, but no one offered any.

"At least he doesn't look old, Rumple." Belle said finally, lightening the mood, "Aren't you glad Emma?"

"Uh definitely" Emma smiled largely at Belle, she was beginning to see why everyone loved Belle, no one could stay angry at her. She knew how diffuse tension, something Emma wished she could do. Emma looked at Neal with a small smile creeping onto her face, "I don't think this would ever work if you were older... sorry honey."

"I guess we're lucky you didn't get pulled into the curse, Bae," Rumple told him.

"Will you please lighten up for a couple of minutes? You act like this is a funeral dinner. You're dressed like... I don't even know what to say. Do you know what a joke is, papa?" Neal asked him.

Rumple looked at his Belle, who eagerly nodded for him to answer. He was too lost in her eyes for a moment and zoned out. After a few seconds, he shook his head and turned back to Neal.

"Of course I know what a joke is, Bae. Don't be so judgemental. I like the suits. Belle seems to enjoy them too," he looked at his girlfriend and smirked.

"It's true, I dig the suit. I can't help but like nicely dressed people. I like to fancy that I dress nice as well." Belle admitted.

"I just remembered something, from when I was quite young. Papa, you know where I'm going," Neal grinned at his father.

"No, dearie, why don't you share it with us," he nodded his head.

"You are a bowl of soup," Neal pointed to his father.

Rumple smiled and couldn't help but force out a small laugh. He shook his head and looked at Belle. She seemed more confused than Emma was.

"No, you're the bowl of soup," Rumple pointed at him.

"No, Belle is the bowl of soup," Neal chuckled.

Belle was very confused, and she thought it could be seen clearly on her face. She glanced at Emma, to see if she got it. Emma had a bemused expression, which didn't help much.

"I'm sorry, what did you call me?" Belle asked.

"He called you a bowl of soup" Emma interjected, "And I think he is right, you do seem a bit soupy..."

"Emma, I'm sure you're a bowl of soup too. Your blonde hair...it reminds me of chicken noodle soup," he took a good look at her.

"How dare you!" Emma said in fake indignation.

"In all seriousness... you are the biggest bowl of soup, Bae," Rumple tried to close the argument.

"We must all be bowls of soup, then," Neal shrugged.

"Four bowls of soup." Belle said in a slight sing song voice, familiar to Rumplestiltskin's back in the enchanted forest.

"That is a pretty good impression, Belle, but I think I can beat all of you," Neal smiled at everyone.

"Oh, please no. Can this wait for another time?" Rumple groaned.

"Let's make a deal, dearie," Neal spoke in his father's impish voice. He moved his hands around the same way his father did. He giggled exactly like him, and everyone laughed. Rumple shook his head and hid away his face. He felt Belle's hand rub his back and looked up at her. He knew that look of hers. It meant that something had gone right and she was proud of him. What he thought was going to be a silent dinner, turned out to be an enjoyable evening with his son.


	2. Origins of the Soup

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, it all belongs to Once Upon a Time, sadly.**

**A/N: This is co-written with eisafangirl, she is super awesome, so check out her stories as well! **

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews and follows! This is a mini chapter inspired by a review from Meresger. If you have ideas for future dates that you would like us to do, review us, and we'll happily do our best!**

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**Origins of the Soup**

Belle pushed her cart slowly through the grocery store. Rumple had sent her off to the store,before going to the pawn shop, with a list and a kiss. Milk, eggs, cereal, chips, apples, ramen noodles... something was missing. Belle looked down at the list, the last item was ice tea. Thankful for the list, she headed for that part of the store. It was dangerous to come without a list, as Rumple learnt a few weeks after the curse broke, otherwise she'd buy the whole store. She stopped dead center of the aisle, a few shelves away there was one last package of ice tea. With fierce determination she headed towards it.

Emma was not happy to be shopping. She really wanted to be sitting at Granny's Diner sipping some hot coco with cinnamon. But when you still lived with your parents, you have to do things you don't want to, she told herself. She really should move out, then she wouldn't have to do these silly errands Snow sent her on and it wouldn't be so awkward when Neal came to spend the night. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going lost in these thoughts of finding a new place... and Neal.

CRASH

Both the carts of Belle and Emma collided together falling sideways, food spilling all across the floor.

"Oh I'm so sorry!" Belle exclaimed, rushing to Emma, who had tripped over a can of soup "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Can't say the same for my food." Emma glanced at her smashed tomatoes.

"Let me help" Belle said kindly.

"Thanks" Emma said gratefully, she really did have a lot of food to pick up.

Belle and Emma knelt on the ground picking up their food. There was an awkward silence. Belle hated awkward silences, she couldn't stand them, and she did everything in her power to avoid them.

"Emma..." Belle scrambled to think of something to say.

"Yes"

"The other day, did you know what the whole bowl of soup thing was about? I really didn't understand that whole exchange."

Emma laughed, remembering the funny moment. "It was something that happened with Neal and his Dad back in the enchanted forest. Neal told me about it a few weeks before, it is one of his happiest memories he can remember about his Dad."

"Could you tell me?" Belle asked curiously

"Sure, I won't do as good as Neal did. But this is how Neal told it:

_Baelfire sighed as he watched his father spin the wheel. He knew his father liked to take the wheel outside because the house got stuffy in the summer. Every time his father spun the wheel, it seemed to hypnotize him. Sometimes Baelfire didn't like his papa spinning. Suddenly, a man walked up to his father, which made him stop spinning._

_"What is that?" the man asked with force and pointed to the wheel._

_"It's a spinning wheel, sire" Rumple looked up at the man with fear in his eyes._

_He was one of the men who kept watch of the town. He already looked like he could strangle Rumple within seconds. As long as he answered short and sweet, Bae wouldn't have to witness anything terrifying. _

_"Ugh" the man scoffed at him. When he walked away, Rumple's eyes kept following him. It was best not to question him._

_"Papa, what did that man say to you?" Bae's young voice asked._

_"It's nothing to worry about, my boy" Rumple coiled his arm around him. "Why don't you go play with your friends?" he asked._

_Baelfire was pretending to walk away, but really sat down to watch his father. He'd rather stay with his papa than play with his friends. Besides, he would never notice him there. The sky got a bit darker after a while, and Bae heard some footsteps coming their way. He sat up and looked to who was coming. It was the man, again._

_"What is that?" the man asked his father._

_"It's a spinning wheel, sire" Rumple explained in a calm tone._

_"Ugh" the man scoffed again. He walked the same way he did this morning. His papa kept spinning the wheel like nothing happened. Baelfire, again, went towards his father._

_"Papa! Why did he say that to you?" he questioned._

_"Let's not worry about it, Bae. It's almost time for dinner and it's cold out here. Go inside" he ordered his son._

_Bae nodded and went back to his usual spot in the grass. He closed his eyes for just a few seconds, and when he woke up, it was already night time. His father kept spinning the wheel in the darkness, except for a little lantern sitting by his foot. Bae shook his head and went to fix up some soup. It was really all they could afford right now. With only some hot water and scraps, the soup wasn't very appetizing. He delivered the bowl to his papa, who took a break. Bae sat next to the wheel, in silence._

_"What is that?" the same voice asked._

_"Oh this?" Rumple lifted the bowl of soup for the man. "It's a bowl of soup" he replied shyly._

_"NO! YOU ARE ONE HELL OF A BOWL OF SOUP!" the man shouted in his father's face._

_Rumple shut his eyes tight, embracing for the worst to come. The man stomped down the road and didn't look back. After there was silence, Bae looked to his father. He opened his eyes and looked to his son. They stared for a few seconds, before both of them burst out laughing. Bae couldn't keep his soup in the bowl, it was too funny._

_"That was by far the most peculiar thing today, Papa" Bae smiled at him._

_"You know what, Bae?" he asked his son._

_"What, Papa?" he kept smiling._

_"You're a bowl of soup" he pointed at him._

_"What! I am not, Papa! You are the bowl of soup" Bae set his soup down._

_"You better run 'cause I'm gonna catch you and tickle you!" Rumple set his soup down._

_Bae booked it for the house and shut the door as quickly as possible. He laughed and panted as he shoved his weight against the door. Rumple limped towards the door and banged on it with his fists._

_"I'm stronger than you, Papa. That's why you're the bowl of soup!" Bae shouted._

_"Not if I get in there and get you!" Rumple told him._

_Finally, Bae released his grip on the door and it went flying open. Rumple tried to tickle the boy, but Bae got a good grip and tackled him from the back. It ended up in Rumple giving his son a piggyback ride and limping out the front door. When Bae released, he looked up at his father and just smiled. Rumple knelt down and hugged his boy tightly. Nothing was going to rip him away from his son._

Belle felt tears forming in her eyes, but she held them back. "That is so sweet!"

"I know, I thought it was adorable" Emma picked up her last item , "I almost didn't believe it, I couldn't never imagine Rumplestiltskin tickling anyone."

"I could" Belle said quietly. Emma caught eyes her. Belle's eyes widened, her cheeks turned a slight pink.

"Anyways..."Emma said slowly, "I'm almost done shopping, how much do you have left?"

"Just one item, iced tea" Belle responded happily, she absolutely loved ice tea.

"That's so funny, that's exactly what Snow wanted me to get." Emma said smiling.

Belle stopped smiling, and glanced at the shelf a few yards away. Emma glanced at it too. There was still one package there. They gave each other a glare.

"It's mine!" Belle said fiercely.

"Not if I get there first!"

They both ran to the shelf, and it was gone.

"Where did it go?" Belle asked frustrated

"It was right here a second ago" Emma looked around the store, her eyes honed on a figure standing on the other side of the shelf. Regina.

"Looking for this" Regina asked innocently, holding up the package. She laughed, dangling it just out of their reach. "Too bad for you, I think I just got the last one." She turned on her heel waltzing towards the checkout.

"That sucks" Emma sighed, Snow wouldn't be happy at all.

"That really does" Belle agreed. Maybe Rumple could help her out and get it back magic style, Belle thought.

Without another word, both women dejectedly wandered into separate depths of the store.

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**Next Chapter: What happens when a carnival comes to Storybrooke?**


	3. Battles of the Stuffed Nature

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, it all belongs to Once Upon a Time, sadly.**

**A/N: This is co-written with eisafangirl, she is super awesome, so check out her stories as well!**

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**Battles of the Stuffed Nature**

"Hey Neal" Emma called, slipping her shoes off, as she walked through the door. "I found something really cool."

"Yeah? And what's that? Another taco place?" Neal asked.

"No... I don't eat tacos all the time, gosh! I had one of Regina's special brownies on the way here." Emma reached into her pocket, and unfolded a piece of paper, holding it up so Neal could see it. It was a weather worn flyer for the Magical Storybrooke Carnival. "We should go!"

"What do you mean by 'we'?" Neal asked suspiciously.

"We, as in you and me, going out in a public place. Where we could meet other people we know, and we could be social if that happens... like normal people." Emma said slowly, with a smile creeping on her face.

"Emma, I don't really know anybody. I'm still getting used to the town. You can go with Henry" he replied.

"What! No!" Emma immediately responded, a tad bit angry. "This is a date thing. Come on Neal! I never got to go to the carnival with a boyfriend when I was growing up. You have to give me this at least. Please."

Neal looked into those sweet puppy dog eyes that Emma used to give him. He always had to play her way. Maybe he could just ignore it, but those beady eyes would keep staring. He shook his head and just smiled at her.

"What am I going to do with you?" Neal laughed. "I guess I can go just for a little while. Are we leaving Henry at Regina's house again?" he questioned.

"Thank you. I was thinking he would stay with my parents. My Dad promised Henry that he would teach him how to ride a horse. He hasn't kept that promise yet, so why not today of all days." Emma shrugged

"Your dad would actually teach him? That's like...the ultimate grandpa. My dad would probably conjure something to keep him entertained. I'm glad he's not staying with him. On the other hand, I'd let Belle take care of him" Neal remembered their dinner together.

"Don't be too hard on your dad..." Emma said quietly, she had learned that forgiveness was key. If she hadn't forgiven Neal for what he had done to her, they wouldn't be together, and that would just be plain horrible. If Neal couldn't forgive his dad...well, things wouldn't be good, that's for sure.

"So, when is it?" Neal changed the subject.

"Today" Emma chirped brightly

"That's...it can't be today. That's too soon" Neal complained.

"Oh well, you already said yes. I'm going to go talk to Henry." Emma kissed Neal cheek, before walking out, "Love you" She called back behind her. Today was going to be great!

Neal waited until Emma was finished talking to their son, and was already standing by the door. They got all bundled up and headed out for the bug. The flyer said it was by the forest. Neal decided to go slower, hoping to get there late.

Neal drove slowly into the grassy parking lot. Emma was ready to jump out of her seat, which she eventually did when he finally finished parking. He drove like a grandma.

"Come on!" Emma pulled Neal out of the car, and towards the entrance. The sight was amazing, not as amazing as real magic or anything, but decent for this world. It was getting dark, so floating lights lit the forest dimly. There were tons of people old and young wandering about. And the smell, it was delicious, like popcorn and cotton candy.

"What do we do first? I guess I'm supposed to awkwardly play a boardwalk game and win you a stuffed animal?" Neal folded his arms.

"Duh" Emma rolled her eyes, "You wouldn't be a real man otherwise."

Neal looked at her funny and was shocked. Was that supposed to be funny or serious? He rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around her. Neal had been to something like this in this world, but it was pretty stupid. People either stood around or just hooked up with people.

"Let's just go explore. We're good at that" Neal smiled at her.

Emma sighed a big fake sigh "Well, if you won't get me a stuffed animal... I guess" Emma smiled and leaned into him. They wandered around the grounds looking at the different sights. One sight caught Emma's eyes.

"Oh no" Emma whispered, stopping Neal, "Let's not go over there." Emma said turning Neal around. It was too late they had seen us, Emma thought.

Rumple and Belle started to walk back to the parking lot, when they spotted Neal and Emma. Rumple started to turn the other way, but Belle had pulled him along. The four of them finally met face to face again.

"What are you doing here?" Rumple asked.

"No, what are you doing here?" Neal shot back.

"I believe you guys are doing the same thing, no need to get ansty." Belle commented with a bright smile, "I'm so glad we saw you. How have you been?" She elbowed Rumple to be polite.

"We've been okay. Emma saw the flyer for the carnival and quickly pulled me here" Neal smiled.

"Belle did the same" Rumple chimed in.

"It's just something us women do." Emma pointed out.

"We do have good taste." Belle admitted

"Belle, did Rumple win you a stuffed animal?" Emma asked slyly

Belle laughed, glancing at Rumple, "No, the one booth we tried wouldn't let him win... something about cheating."

"I didn't cheat!" Rumple was frustrated. "I was just manipulating the machine" he simply stated.

"Dad, that's completely the definition of the cheating" Neal shook his head.

"Like you could do any better than me" Rumple challenged with a grin on his face.

"Oh yeah? Pick any game, and we'll see. Emma, love, I'm gonna get that stuffed animal for you" Neal smirked.

Neal followed his dad to whatever game he was heading for. He chose the game where one squirts water in the hole. Rumple gave the guy a few dollars for both him and his son. Their ladies stood behind them like cheerleaders.

"You're going to wish you never did this" Rumple warned him. Neal didn't respond and kept focused on the target. When the bell rung, both of them started squirting the gun. Secretly, Rumple inched the bar higher. Neal didn't even notice the cheating going on. Finally, Rumple's bar got to the finish line and a loud sound rang. Neal realized his father beat him and cursed to himself. "Don't use that language around me. I'm still your father" Rumple teased.

"That was not fair" Neal frowned as the guy handed Rumple a light up rose.

"For my Belle" he gave it to her.

"Thank you" Belle smiled sweetly, "I've always had a soft spot for roses." Belle kissed Rumple lightly on the mouth.

Emma coughed really loud, covering up the word "gross". "Personally Neal, I think your dad is a big fat cheater. I demand a redo, different game. That wasn't fair at all."

Rumple looked at Emma and just laughed at the girl. Rumple knew that Emma wasn't joking with him. It was just a game, anyways.

"Perhaps you should play with someone who can beat you fairly" Rumple smirked. "Like Belle" he finished his sentence.

"Are you saying I play like a girl?" Neal asked his dad.

"I'll pay for you and Belle to play against each other. You need to bond with your mother" Rumple tried hard not to burst into a laugh.

"Stepmother" Neal corrected him.

"I'm up for it" Belle said brightly ignoring the comments on her motherhood officialness, smiling her sweetest smile at Neal.

"If you get beat by a girl, I'll..." Emma left the sentence unsaid knowing that Neal had a good imagination.

"Why don't we go do that game." Belle pointed towards the game, where one throws three balls to knock down the pins.

"I gotta warn you Belle, I can pretty much do this with my eyes closed" Neal warned.

"That's real funny, Bae" Rumple told him.

"I can do this! I'll let Belle go first" Neal made way.

"Alrighty then" Belle strutted over and took the balls. She missed the first one.

Emma smiled, Neal was going to crush her. The thought didn't last long, as the next two balls neatly hit two pins. Emma looked suspiciously at Rumplstiltskin. He glanced at her, and gave a shrug.

"That's my girl" Rumple coiled his arm around her waist.

"If I get all three, then I win" Neal reminded her.

Neal picked up the first ball and juggled it in his hand for a second. When he was ready, he took a deep breath and threw it right in the middle, where it would definitely hit the pins. When he was about to hiss a "yes", Rumple maneuvered the ball towards the right. To everyone else, the ball just defied physics. Rumple laughed, when he missed.

"That was quite the curveball" Rumple commented.

"I guess I'll just have to tie with her" Neal grumbled.

The next shot, Neal was sure he'd knock all of them out. When was about to throw the next ball, it flew out of his hand and knocked him in the forehead. He fell to the floor, but still conscious. All Neal could hear was his dad's laughter.

"You coward Rumplestiltskin!" Emma shouted, "You're afraid your son will actually beat Belle! Stop it and give him a chance!"

Belle didn't really care if she won, it was just a game after all, and so she came up with a brilliant plan to help Neal out.

She pulled Rumple into a deep kiss, distracting him thoroughly.

Neal took the hint, and with his last ball, he quickly sent it whizzing through the air, right into the middle of the pins, knocking all three down.

"YEEEAAHHHH!" Emma shouted jumping up and down like a mad person.

Everything literally stopped in Rumple's world. Before, he was laughing like a madman, and the next, he was surprised by Belle's actions. When she stopped, he was really disappointed and wanted more of Belle's special remedy. She giggled a bit and just stared at him. Rumple was completely love struck and gave her one of his impish giggles. Everyone looked to him and they were silent.

"Well, that was unexpected" Neal commented. "How do you even laugh like that?" he questioned.

"Belle was the main reason I always laugh like that" he answered simply.

"I don't even know how to respond to that." Emma stuttered.

Belle blushed, feeling awkward with all the attention. "Oh look, your prize is here!" Belle pointed out.

"What is that?" Emma asked disappointed, "That isn't a stuffed animal!"

Rumple looked at the small potion that was handed to her. Belle's blue eyes lit up as she stared at the sparkly blue potion. She handed it to Neal and smiled. He'd never gotten a potion for fun before.

"Excuse me, ma'am, what is this?" Neal asked the lady in charge of the game.

"It's a mystery potion. The contents within are a surprise to you" the lady explained.

Neal nodded and hopped it would be something awesome. He saw the look on Belle's face: curious and excited. Maybe, just maybe, he could share it with her.

"You can have some of the prize, Belle" Neal offered it to her.

"It's yours fair and square, I couldn't" Belle refused.

"You take it, I want to see if we can get a stuffed animal instead." Emma said kindly.

"O-kay" Belle was too curious to not pass up on a chance like this. She took a swig or the potion. It didn't taste bad, nor did it taste good. Something weird was happening...

After everything was going well, Belle blew up in purple smoke. Everyone coughed and tried to swat it away. After they could breath again, they all realized that Belle was gone. In her place, was a small and cute goat.

"Was that a joke?" Neal asked his father.

"I don't know where Belle went. I think she tricked us" Rumple smiled.

They all stared down at the goat. It was just staring back and constantly making its noise. That's when Rumple realized something horribly gruesome. His little Belle was locked up in that animal's body. He immediately got down on his knees and panicked.

"Is...is...she a goat?" Neal asked.

"Belle! Are you okay, dearie?" Rumple desperately wanted to hear her voice.

Someone tapped Emma's shoulder. Emma looked back to find the game lady standing behind her.

"Here's your stuffed animal, Miss"

Emma picked up the little stuffed animal carefully "Thanks you so much" and then realized... it was a goat.


	4. The Revenge of the Goat

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, it all belongs to Once Upon a Time, sadly.**

**A/N: This is co-written with eisafangirl, she is super awesome, so check out her stories as well! **

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**The Revenge of the Goat**

Rumple burst through his house door carrying his beloved goat girlfriend. He rushed down to the cellar, finding the rope first. He made a little collar for her and forced her to stay beside him. He looked through cabinets of potions and remedies, unable to find the right one.

"No-no-no-no" he said to himself. "Why can't I find anything?!" he angrily yelled.

"Papa?" Neal's voice asked.

Neal and Emma had to make sure he was okay and didn't have a heart attack. If Belle knew he died, she would have a heart attack too. They both watched as Rumple continuously slammed the doors open and closed.

"Where is it?!" he angrily demanded.

"Do you even have a pre-made potion for goat to human transformation?" Emma asked softly.

Rumple gave her an evil glare.

"I mean, maybe you'll have to make a potion. From a spellbook...or potion book. I don't know what they're called." Emma felt awkward giving Rumplestiltskin, the freaking Dark One, advice on magic.

"This is not the time, Emma" Neal whispered to her.

"I must have something in here! I'm not going to sit around and let her be a-a-a goat!" Rumple pointed to the poor animal.

Neal and Emma walked to the small animal and started to pet her. Rumple noticed and immediately swatted their hands. He gave them dirty looks continued to search again.

"Geez, we were just being friendly to her" Neal rolled his eyes.

"You're...you're petting her. She might not have any clothes on" Rumple stated.

"Oh...gosh" Emma exclaimed, "Thanks for putting that image in my head!" She said sarcastically.

Suddenly everyone heard the upstairs doorbell ring. Everyone looked puzzedly at each other.

"I'll go get it, you guys keep working. And Neal... don't touch the goat."

Emma climbed out of the cellar, and went to the front door. To her great surprise her dad and Henry were standing on the front steps.

"Henry?" Emma called out, extremely confused.

"Mom!" Henry called out happily, running up and gave her a hug.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Emma asked from above Henry's head.

"We met Regina on our way from the stables, she said that something bad had happened and that you guys were at Gold's house." Charming explained

Emma wondered for a second how Regina knew what happened, but put it out of her head.

"Are you ok?" Charming asked

"Yeah. I'm fine, and so is Neal. Thanks for bringing Henry. We'll be staying here for a little bit." Emma explained

"Ok, See you tomorrow!" Charming ruffled Henry's hair and walked back to his car.

"What happened Mom?" Henry asked, as they walked back to the cellar.

"Oh, Belle got turned into a goat."

"Cool!" Henry's face filled with glee, and he bounded down the stairs, and headed straight for the goat. "She's so pretty! I think I'll name her Lacey!"

"What?" Rumple and Neal asked at the same time.

"She should be called Lacey" Henry repeated.

"Why Lacey?" Neal asked.

"It rhymes with racey. It seems like she'll be really hard to handle" Henry looked down at her. "Do you have stuff to feed her? She's getting a little fat" Henry noticed.

"Fat?!" Rumple shouted at him. "She's as thin as a stick. She won't be eating anything a goat would" he told the boy.

"Goats get hungry, pops" Neal informed him.

"Don't tell me that. She'll be back to normal before she can think about eating" Rumple snarled.

"First, we need to find a way to do that. I would suggest going up stairs, and looking in Belle and your's books for something that might help." Emma said calmly.

"But what about Lacey? We can't leave her here all alone." Henry complained.

"She'll be fine, she's brave." Emma gave a Rumple a look daring him to contradict her. He didn't. So they headed upstairs, leaving Belle or to Henry, Lacey all alone.

_Belle wasn't confused. She thought that she should be confused, as she was a goat, and she shouldn't be a goat, but she wasn't. Her mind was clear, and composed. Obviously her dear Rumple was having a mental freak out. If she were human she would have comforted him, though if she was human, he wouldn't need comforting._

_Belle was mad, and it wasn't because Henry had named her Lacey (Who would ever call their child Lacey?), it was because this wasn't some accident. This goat thing was on purpose, and she knew who did it. Belle hadn't known until now that goats have awesome hearing, it's not something that she could read about, as no writer has ever been inside a goats head. She should write a book about goats...anyways with this hearing she was able to hear Charming and Emma outside. Regina had known something had happened. There was no way that was a coincidence!_

_As everyone left the cellar, Belle smiled. Well if she was a human, she would have been smiling, but goats don't know how to smile. Another thing to add to the book. They hadn't tied her well enough... Regina had better watch out, because this goat was out for revenge._

Rumple led everyone upstairs to Belle's library on a mission to find some information. Most of Belle's books were classics and fiction, but he put some spellbooks there just in case. When he swung the door open, Emma and Neal gawked at the tall library. The room was small, but the ceiling wasn't seen. Rumple ignored their faces and went to one section to look.

"I don't know where to start" Neal shook his head. "Belle must really be a nerd" he commented.

"A really big nerd." Emma whispered into Neal's ear. He laughed lightly.

Henry rushed around the room, touching all the books with his little, probably dirty fingers. Emma could see Rumple flinch as he watched Henry.

"Hey! Mr. Gold, Did my book come from Belle's library?" Henry asked, touching an old book gingerly.

"No, it didn't. Your mother, Regina, made this cursed house have a library so I could remember all of the sad times in my Dark Castle" Rumple explained trying hard not to swat Henry's hand.

"What sad times?" Henry was unaware.

"Maybe I'll let Belle tell you when she's much better. She tells stories better than I do" he admitted.

Suddenly, both of them heard a loud thump on the floor and looked for the noise. Emma was on the floor, bracing her leg. Neal stood there, shocked and trying a little hard not to laugh.

"What happened?" Henry asked.

"I was pushing Emma on the moveable ladder, and she accidently fell off" Neal shrugged.

"Stop with your shenanigans, we're on a mission" Rumple scoffed at the two.

"Mom! Are you okay?" Henry knelt down by Emma.

"I'm fine" Emma said tersely, glaring at Neal. He just gave her that crooked smile that she loved so dearly. Emma got up, Henry helping her... he was becoming a little gentlemen. He would look like a prince if he wore a suit like Rumple's.

"I'm going to get you back. Just you watch" Emma said quietly so Henry couldn't hear to Neal.

Rumple called for them. It seemed like he had found something. Emma and Neal started to head towards him. Henry started to follow them. Emma saw Rumple tense up.

"Hey Henry, Why don't you go check on Belle."

"You mean Lacey."

"No, her name is Belle. Go check on her." Emma said sternly, and shooed him off.

Barely five minutes later Henry came rushing into the room.

"She's gone! She's not there!" Henry shouted

"What?!" Emma, Neal, and Rumple asked in shock.

"Lacey has disappeared!"

_Belle trotted down Main Street. The pavement hurt her hooves, she wished she was wearing shoes, preferably high heels. People gave her odd looks as she walked through the town. She ignored them. She turned onto Regina's street, it was dark and empty. Perfect!_

_She got to Regina's house. The lights glowed faintly from within the house. The apple tree in her yard cast a dark shadow on the grass. It was peaceful, and tranquil... but not for long. If Belle were human, she would have been giving an evil laugh that would beat Rumple any day._

"I'm going to burn down someone's house right now" Rumple felt a fireball coming on.

"We're gonna find her, pops. She's probably roaming around the house" Neal assured him.

"It was Emma's idea to leave her" Rumple pointed at the blonde.

"Do not blame me! It was not my fault Belle's gone!" Emma said angrily. How dare he accuse her of this. She wasn't responsible for a goat's actions...especially a goat. Rumple would probably blame her if Belle pooped on his workbench.

"Come on, let's look around. Emma and I could take the top floor" Neal offered.

"What if she's not here? What if she's outside right now?" Rumple asked.

"You could go out and look for her. Take Henry with you" Neal answered.

"Yeah! Come on, Grandpastiltskin" Henry's nickname shocked Rumple.

Rumple looked through a hand mirror to see if he could see Belle on the streets. After a few moments, he saw the cute thing in Regina's garden. What was she doing? He didn't have time to find out, and turned to the rest of the family.

"I see Belle! She's at Regina's house. We need to get her" Rumple started for the door.

Emma and Neal stepped in front of him and crossed their arms in the same fashion. He gawked at them and gritted his teeth.

"You're going nowhere, pops. Regina's not gonna like you being on her ground" Neal explained.

"Regina's milkshake rejects Rumple from her yard." Emma said with smile.

Everyone looked at Emma with confusion.

"I was listening to the song a while ago" Emma shrugged with a sly smile, "Sorry."

"Emma and I will go get her. You need to stay here before you regret something" Neal nodded.

"I should be the one going" Rumple shook his head.

Emma and Neal quickly ran out the door and proceeded to run to Regina's house. When they rounded the block, both of them took a speed sprint to the large estate. They looked around in confusion. Both of them realized that she wasn't there. She could be on the move again and headed somewhere else. Neal punched in his father's phone number.

"What?" Rumple asked nervously.

"Lacey's not here. Are you sure you saw her here?" he asked.

"It's...Belle" Rumple stated angrily. "I saw her there. She looked like she was headed to Regina's backyard" he was sure.

"We didn't check. We'll see if she's there" Neal hung up.

_Belle was munching on Regina's apples contentedly. She was pulling them off the tree. She had tried to push the tree down, but apparently goats don't have super strength..oh well. Of course eating the apples wasn't the entire plan... no...you didn't come up with such a simple plan, especially when you were the girlfriend of Rumplestiltskin, the master of complex plans. No, Belle was waiting for Regina to notice what was happening to her precious tree. When she walks out, she'll have a bunch of neatly placed surprises. Belle looked up, someone was coming._

"I don't understand why Belle would come here of all places" Emma muttered to Neal as they walked around Regina's house as quietly as possible, trying to be sneaky.

"Well, she's a goat now. She must be looking for some delicious grass to eat" Neal responded.

"I don't think Regina's grass is more delicious than anyone elses." Emma said, rounding the corner. She took a sharp intake of breath.

"Did you see how green it is? Belle's got good taste" Neal turned to Regina's garden and gasped.

Lacey was standing there munching on Regina's perfect red apples. Emma and Neal stood there shocked, and unable to move. They both knew Regina was going to do something evil to them if they didn't get rid of the evidence now. Lacey made a whimpering noise and continued to eat the apples. Neal hurried to the fallen apples and grabbed each one.

"She's going to find out." Emma said under her breath, as she hurried to help Neal.

"What is going on here?!" Regina yelled.

Emma and Neal looked up as Regina slammed her back porch door, she headed straight towards them, fury etched on her face.

Then they heard the squishy sound, Regina looked down and found herself standing in a pile of goat poop.

"EW!" Regina screamed, and jumped away from it...only to land in another neatly placed package.

Emma and Neal were frozen as they watched the evil queen jump around the grass trying to get the mountain of poop off her shoes.

Then out of nowhere, Belle rammed her head into Regina, pushing her into the small fish pond.

Emma and Neal looked at each other and burst out into laughter. Emma had to hold onto her love for support before she fell into the pile of poop everywhere too. Regina sat in the koi pond unhappy, and ready to kill the goat. This wasn't what she had in mind for revenge. Neal scooped up his stepmother and quickly fled the crime scene with Emma. When they got back to Rumple's house, they made sure she wasn't following them.

"I haven't had a fun day like this in a long time" Neal admitted.

"Stick with me, and we'll make every day this fun." Emma answered honestly. She really wanted to give Neal a kiss, but somehow she didn't think it would be appropriate as he was holding his step mother. Emma wondered what Belle was thinking, she imagined that Belle was pretty satisfied with what happened back there. If a goat could smile, that's what this goat was doing.

"Better deliver Lacey to my father. He's probably already got a backup plan complete with minions and everything" Neal theorized.

When they walked downstairs, Rumple and Henry were looking at potions and making some. They both looked up and saw Lacey. Rumple hurried over to his love and took her from Neal's arms. He held her and stroked her back. It was time to get her back to normal.

"Henry and I made a potion to help her become Belle. Let's give it a try" Rumple took her to the table.

All of them watched as Rumple poured the potion all over her. The magic glowed a beautiful blue and started to get a little smoky. Suddenly, the smoke got larger and surrounded the goat. Rumple took his jacket off just in case Belle came back without her clothes. In a blink of an eye, his beautiful Belle took the place of the goat. Rumple realized she didn't have anything on and wrapped the coat around her.

"Belle" he smiled at her.

"Rumple" Belle sighed, happy to be in her own body again, she touched her beloved on the cheek. Then everything that happened came rushing to her, "Rumple you would have been so proud...you wouldn't believe what I just did to Regina." Belle said happily, glancing back at Emma and Neal.

"It was pretty epic!" Emma said with a smile

"You...you came up with a plan to destroy Regina?" Rumple asked his love.

"Not destroy...but revenge in the best way, you would've wanted to see it." Belle smiled knowingly

Emma felt like it was time to be going... it looked like they were going to need some space soon. Where was Henry?

Rumple was too involved in this mess to notice where Henry had gone. He was sitting somewhere just a second ago.

"What does this do?" Henry asked suddenly.

Everyone turned to look at Henry grasping a random wand in his hand. He waved it about, sending magic everywhere. Rumple realized what kind of wand it was. He shouted at Henry and took the wand away from him.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Rumple snarled at the boy.

"I was just playing with it" he replied.

"This is gonna warp Storybrooke into reality. We're gonna feel like we've gone back to our land" Rumple realized.

"What does that mean? We're going back home?" Neal folded his arms.

"No, but home is coming here. All of us, we're going to turn into our real identities" Rumple worried.

"But it isn't permanent, right?" Emma asked worriedly.

"That would be extremely bad..." Belle muttered, she knew what would happen to her and others... it wouldn't be good.

"I don't think it would be. This should last a day at the most" Rumple's voice got a little higher at the end of his sentence.

"Uh oh" Belle said slowly, she recognized that voice.

"Hello, dearie" Rumple giggled endlessly.


	5. The Princess and the Spinner's Boy

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, it all belongs to Once Upon a Time, sadly.**

**A/N: This is co-written with eisafangirl, she is super awesome, so check out her stories as well! **

**We are so sorry for the late post... it's been a busy week to say the least.**

* * *

**The Princess and the Spinner's Boy**

Rumple looked down at his new attire. He was wearing those leather pants he missed, and the laced up boots that had fame. When he looked up, everyone else was back to their homey looks. His eyes caught Belle first, who looked dazzling in her yellow ball gown. His eyes looked to Henry, but he was gone. Of course, Henry wasn't even born yet.

"So this is what Henry did..." Rumple giggled.

"Who's Henry?" Emma asked curiously, looking at Rumplestiltskin as if she had never seen him before. "Who are you? Do you know where my parents are? They are the King and Queen if you didn't know... Charming and Snow...does that ring a bell?"

"Emma...are you ok?" Belle asked softly touching Emma's shoulder.

"Papa? What's going on? Did something happen?" Neal looked around.

Rumple gazed at the young gentleman wearing something completely different that he didn't approve of, a childish costume. Bae would have to look powerful, like the man he was if he was to be the son of the Dark One.

"Baelfire...are you okay, my boy?" Rumple put his hand on his shoulder.

"Where are we? What's going on?" Bae demanded.

"All in good time, son. For now, let's get some fresh air" Rumple put his arm around his son.

"Where are you going? I need you to tell me the directions to my home. I can't recall them right now. Are you paying attention to me?! Hello?" Emma whined.

"Honey, we hear you." Belle was getting worried about her. She was also worried about all the books that needed dusting.

"Then why aren't you doing anything? I want him to walk me home. I order him to." Emma pointed straight at Bae, who looked shocked to be addressed as such.

"What...me?" Bae pointed to himself.

Rumple smiled as everything seemed to switch up for Emma and Neal. They suddenly didn't remember who they were, and Rumple was going to make sure they'd be together. He smiled at the two and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, he transformed Neal's old clothes to something more appropriate. Neal looked down at the extravagant clothing he wore. Did his father really have to change him?

"Go along, Bae. I have to tend to other things with your step-mother" Rumple tugged at Belle's dress.

Belle swatted Rumple's hand away, blushing a little bit. "You do know how to get there Bae, correct?" She asked.

"Of course he does. Everyone knows where the castle is." Emma rolled her eyes at Belle.

"Except you, it seems like, dearie" Rumple giggled.

Neal saw Emma stomp towards his father, and quickly stopped her. He knew it wasn't worth trying to fight him. He took both of her hands and spun her around. He smiled at her and started to walk away from his father.

"I'm sorry about that, Emma..." Bae looked for a last name.

"Charming...my last name is Charming." Emma was a little breathless, no one had ever had the audacity to touch her as this boy...no man had. What was his name again? "I accept your apology... though if you do that again I will tell my Father." Emma stated trying to regain her dignity, but Bae seemed to be silently laughing at her. He probably saw how breathless she was... well darn it.

Belle stifled a laugh as she saw Emma's stunned face. This was going to be an interesting night for them.

"Charming...what a charming name" Bae forced out a laugh.

Rumple shook his head and wondered how he even scored with Emma in the first place. He wanted his son to succeed, but he was making it difficult.

"Emma, you can join us for a feast tonight at the Dark Castle, if you wish. Please, invite your mother and father" Rumple grinned at the girl.

"I don't think my Mother and Father would approve..." Emma looked around, and spotted the spinning wheel. "...Especially having dinner with spinners. It's not very becoming." Emma shrugged.

"Papa, don't be so demanding. I'll take Emma back to her castle" he smiled at her.

"Perhaps later" Rumple rubbed his fingers together.

"I'm going now." Emma stated, lifting her skirts to climb the stairs. She could hear Bae rushing behind her. She smiled, she didn't know why this strange spinner was capturing her attention... but he most definitely was.

Bae walked beside her. "How rude you are." Emma joked. Bae looked at her with confusion. "It is customary for a lady to be led by the arm." Emma offered her arm to him. She didn't know why she just said that.

Of course, she just had to get formal with Bae. He nodded, and did as she wished. He remembered just what his papa taught him to do.

"How silly of me, your Highness" Bae smiled at her. "Is there anything else I can do for you to make your walk more pleasant?" he asked politely.

"No, not at the moment. Thank you." Emma said stiffly, she glanced at Bae, and for a moment she thought she saw him smirk. "Are you making fun at me?" Emma asked, a little hurt.

"I'm sorry, your Highness. My father teaches me these things, and it drives me crazy. He tells me we're just spinners, and we need to respect the royalty" Bae sighed.

Emma paused, and looked at Bae carefully. She had never thought about how it must be hard to know all the little things royals do. "You keep calling me 'your highness'...but you called me Emma at your Father's." Emma took a breath. "Call me Emma, I like the way you say it." Emma gave Bae a shy smile.

"Emma..." Bae trailed off. "I hope we can be really good friends. It's not everyday you get to walk with a princess of Fairytale Land" Bae smiled at her.

Bae realized that he did enjoy her company. He assumed princesses were annoying and cunning, but this one was different. She seemed to be raised by her parents well. She could be a hot head in front of everyone else, but she was different in front of him. He definitely liked that about her.

Bae was staring at Emma, it was making her a bit uncomfortable. She didn't know where to look, she settled for the ground. That was when she noticed something.

"Wait!" Emma pushed Bae to the side, knocking him over. But she was focused on the ground... staring at a little grasshopper.

"Jimmy are you ok? Did Bae hurt you?" Emma held open her hand for the grasshopper to crawl in...but it didn't. It just hopped away...apparently she had just knocked Bae over for nothing. Oops.

"Emma? Are you alright?" Bae asked.

He rolled over, and used the ground to push himself up. He wiped his hands, and made sure the princess didn't have any bruises or scratches. One thing his father taught him, was to always make sure the lady was okay first.

"I'm fine." Emma brushed Bae away, before he could see her blush. "After all it was me who pushed you."

"You...you have a little bit of dirt in that blonde hair of yours" Bae smiled. "May I?" he asked, just in case she thought he was being too suggestive.

"Um..sure." Emma bit her lip...which she knew was very unladylike, and her mother would have a fit if she saw her. But Snow isn't here, Emma reminded herself. Bae came closer, and Emma closed her eyes.

"You don't have to close your eyes. I'm not going to hurt you" Bae laughed.

He took some of the beautiful blonde strands and shook out the dirt. He was careful not to let it hurt her.

When Bae was done, Emma quickly took a step back. She glanced around to see anyone saw her. Red was standing a ways away. Emma grimaced, if Red saw that, the whole town saw that. Red let out a wolf whistle, giving Emma a thumbs up, and ran off when Bae turned around to look.

"Did you see something?" he asked her.

"Nothing" Emma lied quickly, "How far are we from my house?" Emma asked, reminding Bae of the reason of this whole trip in the first place.

"Just beyond these little houses here. By the looks of it, seems like you're trying to get rid of me" Bae turned his head towards her and smiled.

"I'm not trying to get rid of you. I'm just really tired...and it's late. Princess's need their beauty sleep. This doesn't happen by magic you know." Emma pointed to her own face, smiling at her own joke.

"I think my father needs his beauty sleep. Think you can give him some tips?" Bae stopped at the front of her home.

"I don't think there is much I can do with that...sorry. You on the other hand, I can help you out." Emma laughed. "I would add a scarf right here." Emma poked Bae's collar bone.

"I think you're right. I'll have one on the next time you see me" Bae led the girl to the tall palace doors. Slowly, the doors opened and Bae wasn't sure if he should go inside with her. "I think you'll be fine on your own. It was a pleasure walking with you, Emma" Bae smiled.

"Thank you so much for walking me home." Emma said softly to Bae, standing in the glow of her door. "You're a really nice guy." Emma paused, unsure of what to say, "You better have a scarf the next time I see you... preferably blue." Emma opened her mouth, as if to say something more, but changed her mind. She entered her home, and turned to look at Bae one last time. His face was lit up by the warm light from her home...he was quite handsome. Stop Emma told herself, what was she doing thinking things like that, she was a princess. She closed the door quickly. She leaned against the door, and sighed. She was in over her head.

_A few minutes earlier..._

Belle and Rumple quietly followed Emma and Bae from an appropriate distance away.

"Are you sure we're not too close?" Belle whispered.

"Don't worry, I've done this plenty of times" Rumple kept his gaze on Bae.

"I still don't trust you. Hey! Is that Red over there?" Belle asked, pointing to a figure in the distance.

"What?" Rumple scoffed. He turned his head to see Red staring at them too. What was she doing here? She had no business staring at Emma and Bae's little walk. Rumple snapped his fingers, and made a loud noise where Ruby was. He saw Emma and Bae turn their heads towards her. She scattered, and Rumple felt accomplished. "There, now we are the only ones" Rumple nodded.

"I don't think that was you, Rumple." Belle whispered. "I think Red gave Emma a thumbs up... I think we missed a...a...swanfire moment!" Belle said dramatically.

"What is a swanfire?" Rumple was confused.

"I don't know I mashed their names..Emma _Swan_ and Bael_fire_. It'll become a thing one day." Belle said proudly.

"So...what would our name be?" Rumple asked.

Belle thought for a moment. "Rum...Belle. Yes that sounds right, rumbelle would be our name."

"What? That sounds like rumble, but I like it!" Rumple giggled.

"Well we are so cool...we are ready to rumble!" Belle laughed at her own corny joke. Then she noticed Bae and Emma were near Emma's door. "We need to get closer Rumple! I need to hear what they're saying!" Belle whispered hurriedly.

Rumple pulled Belle out from hiding and rushed to listen to Emma and Bae's conversation. Upon entering, Rumple heard Emma complementing Bae. Everything was going to be in place.

"Oh she wants him to wear a scarf" Belle gushed quietly, "That is so cute!"

"What? That's so stupid. A scarf, really?" Rumple shook his head in disgust.

"Obviously you don't get women..it means that Emma likes him, even if she doesn't know it yet herself." Belle explained to Rumple as if he was a two year old

"I thought Emma had fashion sense... I guess Henry's accident kept some of Emma's real qualities" Rumple snickered.

"You sound ga-" Belle stopped mid- sentence. "They didn't kiss goodnight! She's shut the door! Come on, before Bae leaves." Belle pulled Rumple out of hiding.

When Emma's door shut, Bae smiled at her request, and turned around to leave. Suddenly, he bumped into somebody and looked up at the person. He rolled his eyes when he saw his father standing there.

"Looks like you have a thing for Emma" Rumple giggled.

"You brought Belle too?" Neal questioned.

"I wasn't going to interfere, Belle wouldn't even let me" Rumple sighed in defeat.

"You two look so cute together." Belle led Bae away from Emma's house. She saw someone looking through the window. Belle smiled, young love was so amusing.

"That was all me" Rumple felt accomplished.

"No that wasn't" Bae shot back a glare.

"Well...I gave you the clothes and the mannerisms" Rumple argued.

"I think Belle gave you the mannerisms first" Bae smiled at him.

"What? No..." Rumple realized he was technically right. He lost his mannerisms when he was the destructive Dark One. He smiled the first time he actually fell in love with her. He always liked to think about that moment. "Fine...maybe she did" Rumple snarled.

"Anyways, enough about us. We're here about you, Bae. You need to take her out on a outing tomorrow. And we're here to help that go brilliantly." Belle smiled.

"Thank you, Belle. I'm glad I have someone who can actually help me" Bae laughed.

"I can help! I'm going to make you the most handsome man Emma ever laid eyes on. You will make Charming look like tadpole" Rumple giggled.

"You and your terrible ideas" Bae rolled his eyes.

"From what I overheard... it seems like you need a blue scarf." Belle commented.

"I guess I do..." Bae smiled and remembered Emma asking him to wear it next time.

"A blue scarf? Next thing you know, she wants him to bring her a bunch of jewelry" Rumple sighed.

"Stop!" Bae shouted. "Can you not act like the sarcastic and protective father? I'm not fourteen anymore" Bae explained.

"We are aware Bae, even if your father doesn't always show it. And Emma is also aware of that fact. You need some sleep. Don't worry I will find a scarf and make sure everything will go right in the morning. Rumplestiltskin will have little say in everything in case you were wondering." Belle said comforting the stressed Bae. He had been through a lot, and probably was really confused with all the intense emotions he felt. Most likely his love for Emma was seeping through to this version of him.

"I trust you, Belle" Bae smiled at her.

"Can we all go home now before Emma knows what's going on?" Rumple whined.

"Magic us home then, Rumple" Belle laughed.

Rumple smirked and snapped his fingers. The purple smoke revealed home again. Bae looked around his father's Dark Castle. They stood in a room full of objects, possibly his father's most treasured items. His eye roamed the pedestals, each one looked dangerous, except for one. What was this, a teacup?

"What is this?" Bae picked up the chipped cup.

"Oh that's mine." Belle gently took the chipped cup, "It's sort of a thing with your father and I. A long story for another time, I believe." Belle shooed Bae away. He presently wandered off to bed. Belle could feel Rumple coming up from behind her. "Thank you for gluing it back together" Belle said softly.

"I knew you'd be upset if it broke. Me? It didn't matter, except that you didn't remember me at the hospital" he explained.

"Liar. You held on to that for more than 28 years." Belle smiled up Rumplestiltskin.

"I guess you caught me" Rumple leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Guess I did" Belle kissed his temple "No offense Rumple, but your skin feels funny."

"This is why I'd rather be a man, than this monster" he answered.

"I'll love you either way... but you might get more kisses while being a man." Belle said honestly.

"What? That's unfair..." Rumple whined.

"I guess you'll just have to wait till tomorrow night when this curse breaks" Belle teased, tapping Rumple's lips.

**Find out what happens to Bae and Emma next week.**


End file.
